Web materials, such as films, papers, woven or nonwoven materials are broadly used and handled in the industry. Often such webs are trimmed such that holes or apertures are created, which are discarded, whilst other materials, are added to the web.
It is a well-known technology to apply relatively short pieces of a second material to a first web, when the second material is cut from an essentially endless supply and the pieces of the second material are positioned in a spaced arrangement on the first web.
In a first approach, the second material is provided as an essentially continuous material running at a direction perpendicular to the first web, and the cut pieces are positioned cross-directionally onto the first web, see e.g. EP0652175A1. In this method, for the moment of the combination of the web and the pieces, there should be no speed mismatch and thus there is a strong limitation with regard to the manufacturing speed, or other complex measures must be taken.
In a second approach, the second material is applied when running in essentially the same direction as the first material, using the “cut and space” principle. This method is also referred to as “cut and slip” method, as it requires the shorter material to be accelerated to the speed of the first web.
Yet a further approach is to avoid a speed mismatch by use of varying speed support, such as well-known server motor driven rolls.
It is also known to separate a web along a predominantly longitudinally extending line, such as a meandering line, to machine-directionally offset one portion versus the other, optionally reposition the web path of one of these portions such that the previously outward longitudinal side margins are now positioned towards each other and the separation line forms lateral margins, see e.g. WO2008/141658A1, EP0539032A1, EP0797970A2, EP0396050A2, WO1998/025767A1, or WO1006/031180A1.
However, there is still a need for a simple and reliable method for applying discrete pieces or portions of a web material to other portions of the same web, in particular, if this web is of low strength or has elastic properties.